The Initiative: StormFront
by David Golightly
Summary: The Alaskan team assigned by Tony Stark's Initiative. Starring Blue Shield, Colleen Wing, Ghost Girl, the Abomination, and Bonfire! The first four issues are now online, so check them out.
1. Chapter 1

Part of the Fifty States Initiative!

**StormFront**

Issue #1 written by D. Golightly

"Storm of the Century – Part One"

* * *

_**THURSDAY, 3:16pm**_

Large chunks of ice slammed into the snow covered ground like economy-sized balls of hail. Jagged frozen boulders that once floated harmlessly in the waters around the Alaskan coast now threatened to not only destroy the small town of Eek, Alaska, but also decapitate the gathered heroes who were charged with the state's defense.

"Blonsky, don't let him get by you!" the masked leader of the group, Blue Shield, yelled over the raging onslaught. Blue Shield's encapsulating force field kept him safe, but his role as leader forced him to be concerned with the mission first and his personal safety second. "Stay on your mark!"

"Relax, blue boy," Blonsky, a grotesque mountain of a scaled beast, replied. His Russian accent was thick, cutting through the noise of the conflict easily. "I am well rehearsed in matters like this. Reserve your orders for those who want them."

Another boulder of ice rocketed through the air, heading straight for Emil Blonsky. If he were any of his comrades, he might have cause to worry as the rushing miniature iceberg was twice his own massive size. Standing nearly eight feet tall, Blonsky neither hesitated nor stalled when he raised his lumbering green arms and simply caught the ice chunk. The pulsating muscles of the gamma-powered Abomination were more than a match for the threat, as Blonsky was ready to show their quarry.

Shifting his stance, the Abomination hefted the frozen boulder and hurled it across the landscape where it landed directly in front of the group's adversary. The bearded man jumped back in surprise, letting loose a string of profanities that deemed him as the sailor he was.

"Quit fooling around," a harsh, feminine voice said from behind the Abomination. "We need to put this to bed before innocent people get hurt."

Blonsky angled his thick neck around to look at the woman and tell her something ungentlemanly, but one glance at her features put even the Abomination into quiet submission. Colleen Wing casually twirled her samurai sword around between her fingers a few times to loosen any tension still in her arm, tension that could mean the difference between swift justice or an even faster death.

Colleen ran passed the brutish Abomination and raised her glistening sword high over her head. One of the giant ice boulders was in between her and her target, but instead of taking the time to jut around the obstacle, Colleen pounced up into the air and placed her hand on top of it, using it like an Olympic pummel horse. Landing on the other side, she hit the ground running, swinging her sword back and forth in front of her as if to clear a path through the snowfall.

"Don't worry about her, Emil," another female voice said from above the Abomination, this time cheerfully optimistic. "I think you did a great job! You should throw another one."

An innocent looking girl gently floated down beside the towering monster, a widespread smile covering the lower portion of her face. Her skin was pale and her hair soft, and the growing wind caused her tiny cape to flap wildly behind her. The Abomination had only met the young lady a little while ago, and he hadn't yet come to terms with her general appearance. Aside from being a mildly attractive teenager, Ghost Girl was rarely fully attuned with their dimension, resulting in an eerie presence from which she took her name.

The young woman who appeared to be a spirit of the netherworld rubbed her hands together eagerly. "Isn't this exciting?" she exclaimed. "Alpha Flight never let me get this close to the action!"

Another large chunk of ice suddenly fell straight through Ghost Girl's apparition, slamming into Abomination's face. The strange visual of the young lady had distracted him enough for him to let his guard down, and even though he was unhurt from the icy boulder, his pride was still wounded.

"Oh, no!" Ghost Girl yelled as she outstretched an arm toward her fallen teammate. "I am so sorry, Emil! I forget that I can get in the way sometimes."

Ghost Girl swirled in midair, facing their fleeing foe from across the battlefield. Her soft and friendly demeanor quickly changed to one of annoyance and anger, similar to how a child might look if the school bully had just knocked down her best friend. "That stupid man! This is all his fault."

The stupid man in question poked his head out from behind the boulder the Abomination had thrown to block him, ignorant of Ghost Girl's irritation. He was far more concerned with the bouts of flame that were proceeding to melt through the boulder he was hiding behind. A third female hovered a dozen yards away from him, her hair a bright shade of red to match her tight, orange bodysuit.

"I don't know who you are," the woman said, "but this is my state, and I'll be damned if I don't keep you from doing whatever it is you're trying to do!"

Their enemy raised his arm over the scaled down boulder, his purple armor glistening from the strafing shots of burning fire. A wisp of smoke curled up into his nose, horrifying him when he realized that his impressive beard had been singed. His one good eye zeroed in on the fiery woman assaulting him as he channeled energy into the palm of his hand. A long spear suddenly burst forth, forming in his grasp with its crackling energy.

"Aye, you would think me a fool!" he screamed. "Know that no mere woman can stop the mighty Ahab when he has a task to complete!"

"You've got to be kidding me," she replied. "Ahab? You've got to be joking. I mean, who the hell—HEY!"

Ahab ignored her words as he threw his energy harpoon at her with all of his enhanced strength. The sizzling projectile rocketed into her arm, stabbing into her flesh and firing all of her pain receptors. She dipped down in the air slightly, but maintained her altitude. Her arm hung limply at her side, now paralyzed with pain and useless. The pain was almost unbearable, yet she managed to stay conscious. The boiling blood pumping through her veins made sure of that.

"Big mistake, jackass," she said between gritted teeth. "And for the record, I'm no mere woman. The name's Bonfire, and I'm going to kick your ass up and down the Alaskan coast, you washed up freak!"

* * *

_**TUESDAY, 8:27am**_

"Deputy Director Hill, I just don't think it's a wise decision," Blue Shield said, trying his best to match the woman's stare on the display screen. "He'll be a loose cannon if I ever saw one."

"Unfortunately, Joseph," Maria Hill, the current Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., replied sternly, "your opinion in the matter is moot. Executive Director Stark appointed the Abomination to your post specifically. He'll be coming in this afternoon, so get used to it. Emil Blonsky may have gone toe to toe with the Hulk and survived to tell the tale, but he's also actively taking part in our Supervillain Correctional Program."

The monitor room within the relatively small building was decorated just as the rest of the interior: white walls, bland furniture, stainless steel tables…all the trimmings of a dentist's waiting room. Blue Shield sat at the communications console, accessing the secure channel that linked the base directly with S.H.I.E.L.D. The equipment was top-notch, seconded only by what the Avengers were used to. Stark had gone all out, at least in terms of technology.

Their headquarters was only three stories tall, however, lacking in presence what it made up for in character. An old textile factory in the heart of Alaska, the building had been purchased by the government and retrofitted with all the essentials that a budding superhero team would need. It wasn't exactly cozy, but it would more than suffice.

"I've never met Blonsky, but I've seen news reports that covered his destruction. Do you know he killed seventy-three people during a rampage a few years ago?"

"I'm aware and so is the Executive Director." Hill's eyes blinked a few times as her lips curled to one side. It was a rare moment for her to actually show concern for a situation. "Just do what you can, Joe. We appointed you to the position because we have faith in you. Your work with Pegasus—"

"Yeah, right," Blue Shield said, cutting her off. "I'll send my daily report after he gets here. FSI: 49 out."

He leaned forward and flipped the switch to disconnect the transmission, removing Hill's face from the screen. With a heavy sigh, Joseph Cartelli tried to imagine what it would be like working with a supposedly reformed supervillain, especially one that could probably break through his protective force field. It was already bad enough that he was working with a couple of naïve rookies and that the only other respectable hero, the samurai Colleen Wing, resented being there.

Hill's mention of Project: Pegasus, once a secret research operation put in place by the government, had brought back some bad memories. Blue Shield had been the security director for the project before the superhuman Civil War, before things went downhill for anyone wearing a mask. Deputy Director Hill herself had approached Joe, asking him to take part in Stark's Initiative program. At first he thought it was a blessing, being asked to personally lead a team thanks to his experience in an authoritative position. Hindsight, however, always seems to be twenty-twenty.

Standing up, Blue Shield checked the time and began to head for the training facility. The Abomination was the last member appointed to the 49th sector of the Fifty States Initiative, and he hoped that he would catch the other members before they started their daily training session. He knew Colleen would be skeptical, but he didn't know Bonfire and Ghost Girl well enough to estimate their reactions.

In his experience, teamwork was crucial in the field. With the almost reckless swiftness that Stark had pursued when launching the Initiative, Blue Shield hoped that his roster hadn't been cobbled together from the other FSI teams' leftovers.

* * *

_**WEDNESDAY, 1:05pm**_

"What did you say our name was?" Bonfire asked.

"Since Alaska was the 49th territory admitted into the United States," Blue Shield answered, making sure to speak loud enough for the entire team to hear him, "our designated number is FSI: 49."

"Yeah, but we're not going by that, right?" the dark woman asked eagerly. With her flames currently dosed, Bonfire leaned back against the wall inside the training facility without worry of singing the tiles. Her shoulder length hair rested casually, swinging back and forth gently as she spoke. "I mean, what kind of name is that for a superhero team?"

Ghost Girl suddenly spun in the air to address Blue Shield directly. She looked ecstatic, as usual, even though her face was slightly distorted from being partially out of sync with their reality. "How about we call ourselves—"

Colleen Wing slipped her sword back into its sheath as a way of silencing the young ethereal girl. "If you say The Happy Fun Squad, I swear to God…"

"No," Ghost Girl shot back defensively, "I'm not _that_ immature."

The five heroes were gathered inside their headquarters, having been called for a special practice session by their leader. Blue Shield thought it would be wise for them to go over a few details before officially training together as a team for the first time. Some of them had no real field experience, outside of what they had undergone through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s academy. So far, none of their personalities had really clashed and Joe had his hopes raised. Unfortunately, things never stayed perfect in life.

The Abomination had arrived the previous afternoon, insulting all four of his teammates upon entering the compound. Apparently the type of resentment a superhero might house when forced to work with a known criminal went double when reversed. Blonsky was not happy.

"Do we even have assignments?" the Abomination asked. "Or should we sit on our asses all day?"

"We need to be called something cool," Bonfire said, ignoring the Abomination's comments. "Something that will let the bad guys know that we'll mess them up if they come around."

"Tennessee's been dubbed the Leathernecks," Colleen said. "It's all over the internet."

"See!" Bonfire said, pointing at Colleen but never taking her eyes off of Blue Shield. "That's what I'm talking about. A name like that makes you think of getting your junk bitten off if you so much as jaywalk."

Blue Shield raised his hands slightly in a motion to retain control of the floor. "Deputy Director Hill faxed over all of our government licenses this morning," he said. "With Blonsky's arrival we are officially activated within the Fifty States Initiative. Aside from our designated number, we're being referred to in Washington as StormFront."

"Is that like some kind of pun?" Bonfire asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I like it!" Ghost Girl chimed in.

The Abomination huffed briskly, crossing his massive arms over his boundless chest. "Of course you like it, little one. You like everything."

"All the _i's_ have been dotted and all the _t's_ have been crossed," Blue Shield said. "Welcome to democracy, Stark style. Now, we're supposed to cover all these protocols, but I think coordinating field tactics would be more beneficial, especially since Blonsky looks like he wants to rip something in half. Get ready to go through the ringer, kids. The session commences in five minutes."

Blue Shield turned to head into the training room's control booth to prep the scenario he wanted to run the team through. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder before exiting, and saw Ghost Girl returning Colleen's apathetic stare with a gleeful smile.

From his experience in working with opposing personalities, he found that people tended to work best when there was a small amount of friction within the group. A little rough edges made you handle the package more carefully. He thought that they would go through the motions and maybe even define themselves into a workable team. Whether or not the fledgling StormFront would actually see any real action was unlikely, but at the very least Blue Shield was determined to give it his best shot.

* * *

_**THURSDAY, 3:20pm**_

"Take down the Mole Man and forget the Moloids!" Blue Shield ordered over the roar of the fight. "If we take him out then all his little monsters will be directionless! Colleen—"

"Already on it," she hollered back. "Keep them off of me and I'll knock the little creep on his ass."

Blue Shield nodded and rushed in front of Colleen Wing. Barely twenty-four hours after their first group training session and they were already fighting for their lives, as well as the lives of a town full of people. Not only were they under attack from one supervillain, but a second had joined the fray for some reason, and they were no where near ready to handle something of this magnitude.

Ahab, a treacherous mutant hunter from the future, had appeared suddenly near the outskirts of the small town of Eek, instantly alerting StormFront's sensors. His unique energy readings were off their scales, and his intentions were unknown. The team had arrived to find him casually walking through the town, tossing his energy harpoons into several people, killing them brutally. It looked as though he were searching for something, but he had yet to reveal his intentions.

Shortly after their arrival, StormFront was faced with a second threat in the form of the Mole Man and his Moloid minions. A veritable army of mindless, loyal, subterranean creatures, the Moloids had blasted up from under the snow-covered ground from their freshly dug tunnels. The Mole Mole hid behind his army, ordering them to kill whoever dared to cross their path. He also had yet to claim a reason for appearing.

Blue Shield activated his powers, no longer dependent on the stasis field belt he once wore, and charged up a cobalt blue force field to surround himself. The Moloids had been holding StormFront at bay by ripping free large chunks of ice and hurling them haphazardly through the air. Hundreds of icy boulders were falling from the sky, impacting into the ground with enough force to crack a man's skull open. As random as it all seemed, the Mole Man appeared to be ordering his creatures to distract the heroes while Ahab continued his search.

"Ready?" Blue Shield asked Colleen over his shoulder.

"Just freakin' go already!" the female samurai screamed back.

The former security chief and newly appointed team leader smirked at her response, disregarding the misconduct. Redoubling the strength of his force field and extended it forward, he ran straight into the center of the Moloid army. The brownish, scaled creatures swarmed around him, but his force field acted like a battering ram as he plowed through their numbers. Colleen Wing slashed left and right with her sword as she ran behind Blue Shield, taking full advantage of the path he was clearing.

There were hundreds of the slobbering creatures, if not thousands. Their fists pounded against Blue Shield's force field and he shoved his way through, but thankfully his energy aura held strong. They were witnessing a full scale subterranean invasion as the creatures relentlessly assaulted them at the Mole Man's command.

Across the battlefield, Ahab traded ranged attacks with the enraptured Bonfire. Energy harpoons lanced over the sky only to be shot down by bouts of flame. Even with a defunct arm, the Alaskan native heroine was still able to defend herself. Pressing any type of offense, however, was something beyond her current abilities. It was all she could do to keep the purple-armored villain at bay, let alone stop him entirely.

"Fall, damn you!" Ahab roared as he launched another energy harpoon. He ground his teeth in frustration, seemingly distracted by something. Bonfire realized that he was preoccupied with whatever he had been searching for, which meant she might be able to gain the advantage.

"What's the matter, Captain Long Beard?" she taunted while countering his spear with a concentrated blast of pure fire. "You have someplace you'd rather be? My feelings are hurt!"

Ahab readied another harpoon along with a verbal retaliation, but his attention was caught by something large falling through the air. At first thinking it was a randomly chucked chunk of ice, Ahab aimed his harpoon toward the heavens, meaning to smash it to pieces before it could reach him. His eyes opened wide as he realized that the massive object about to fall on top of him wasn't an inanimate object.

The lumbering shadow of the Abomination covered Ahab as he piledrived his own body into the villain. The jade giant forced all of his momentum into the impact, smashing Ahab's body down into the cold and frozen ground. Puffs of flaky snow expelled from the crash, coating the Abomination's green skin with a soft blanket of snowflakes.

"Now his feelings are hurt," the Abomination said. He eyed up Bonfire and grimaced menacingly, showing no reluctance to stare at her supple curves.

"Um…yeah, that's one way to win a fight," Bonfire said. "I mean if you like, weigh a metric ton or something."

She massaged her pained shoulder, trying to rub feeling back into it. She slowly touched down back on terra firma, allowing her flames to dissipate. Holding Ahab's harpoons off had seriously depleted her, and even though she didn't want the rest of the team to know, she was about done. All she wanted now was a nice, hot bath to soak in for about a week.

"C'mon!" she heard Ghost Girl yell from above her. The see-through form of the young heroine floated over both of them toward the other side of the field where Blue Shield and Colleen were still fighting their way through the Moloids. "They need our help. StormFront assemble!"

Bonfire watched Ghost Girl as she swooped down toward the fray. She shook her head slightly and said, "If they don't kill her, I just might."

"Do not concern yourself," the Abomination said as he stepped out of the crater he had forced Ahab into. "We will prevail and then we won't—"

Blinding energy suddenly erupted all around both Bonfire and the Abomination. Two of Ahab's signature harpoons slowly ebbed their way into the heroes' backs, threatening to knock both of them unconscious. The purple armor of the mutant hunter was dented and scuffed, but Ahab still lived.

"Never turn your back on a hunter," Ahab warned them as he charged another set of harpoons. "You won't live to regret it!"

Ghost Girl swooped through the air, reaching the halfway point between both sets of heroes. She glanced back, wondering where Blonsky and Bonfire were. She was horrified to see that the villain thought defeated was now anything but. She shot another look at Blue Shield and the samurai, noticing that they were also having trouble. The Moloids had totally surrounded them and were pressing their advance. Before long Blue Shield's force field would give out and they would be at the mercy of the creatures.

She bunched up her thin fingers into fists and shook them gently, unsure of which pair to help first. They all needed her, but who needed her the most?

"What's a Ghost Girl to do?" she exclaimed.

* * *

NEXT ISSUE: What _is_ a Ghost Girl to do? Find out as "Storm of the Century" continues! Plus, discover the origins of Bonfire, learn Colleen's true intentions for joining the team, and find out how their first training session went (here's a clue – not well!). All that and more as Alaska's first superhero team fights for its collective life!


	2. Chapter 2

Part of the Fifty States Initiative!

**StormFront**

Issue #2 written by D. Golightly

"Storm of the Century – Part Two"

* * *

_**MONDAY, 7:55am**_

The Alaskan winds that typically swept blankets of light frost around the landing pad found themselves cut back by an approaching helicopter. Not a typical aircraft, the chopper could present itself as whisper silent if so necessary. Its armaments were impressive enough to fend off a number of aggressors and its hull was sturdy enough to deflect whatever those same aggressors could dish out. A stark, drab coating of gray paint covered the aircraft entirely except for a blazing yellow insignia on the side, marking it as S.H.I.E.L.D. property.

A lone man stood waiting on the helipad for the approaching helicopter, his blue uniform standing out against the concrete background. His full facemask had been pulled back to reveal his chiseled features and dark hair. Joseph Cartelli, the appointed leader of the budding FSI team, watched the helicopter land. He nodded to the pilot before walking closer to the aircraft when he saw the side hatch open.

Three women of varying ages dropped out of the aircraft. Joe extended his right hand in greeting to the closest one, who had a long satchel strapped to her shoulder, as he said, "You're five minutes early. I like that. Welcome to the team. If you'll follow me we'll get all of you inside and debriefed."

"Hi!" the youngest woman, who didn't appear to be a day over eighteen, said with exuberance. "My name is—"

"Lilli," the first woman with the satchel said, cutting her off. "Not now. It's freezing out here and not all of us can let the wind phase through us."

The young woman blushed and raised the corner of her mouth, yielding to the older woman. The three ladies followed Joe across the helipad and into a three-story building that looked just as barren as the terrain. Once inside, Joe led them into a conference room where they dropped their duffel bags onto the table and sat down. The heated interior of the building comforted them, as S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft, while versatile, weren't very comfortable. Whitewashed walls and stainless steel décor greeted them as well as a dentist's waiting room.

The woman who had shaken Joe's hand regarded the conference room with narrow eyes, as if she were observing everything that crossed her path. "This place," she said. "It is very…functional."

"Tony Stark spent a lot of money putting the Initiative together," Joe replied. "I understand he dipped into his own funds to provide facilities to all of the FSI teams. Given the amount of haste practiced in placing us, I doubt a lot of thought was given to interior decorating."

Joe moved to the head of the table while the three women eased into their chairs. He flipped open a folder that he had dropped there earlier and palmed a remote control for thirty-six inch flatscreen television on the wall, turning it on. A schematic of the building they were in displayed immediately, zooming through the facility as Joe began to speak.

"First thing's first," he said. "My codename is Blue Shield and I'm the appointed leader of this FSI installation. I trust you were all debriefed on the basics of the operation upon being recruited. Our initial concern when—"

"I'm sorry," the one woman who had yet to speak blurted out as she leaned forward. Her skin was slightly darker than the others but not so much to distinguish her as being of African descent. "Are you serious?"

Joe looked confused. He was slightly irritated at the small outburst but he had to remind himself that these were not trained military personnel. Yet. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"You're telling me that S.H.I.E.L.D. put a guy named 'Blue Shield' in charge up here? Sweet Moses, if that doesn't take the cake… Stark is bigger on propaganda then I figured. I mean, I'm _from_ Alaska. Was I even considered for the lead?"

Blue Shield picked up a page from inside the folder and looked it over before replying, "Cynthia Smalls. Codename: Bonfire. Native to Alaska. Complied with the Registration Act three weeks ago. Human organic mutate who displays pyrokinesis and combustion powers, the full range of which has yet to be discovered. Rushed through the Academy to fill a position here at FSI: 49. Your psyche exam suggests that no, you are _not_ qualified to lead this team."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Hi!" the bubbly young woman said beside Cynthia. She stuck out her hand to the Alaskan native, who just stared at it with a curious glance. "I'm Lilli. You can call me Ghost Girl. Are you really from Alaska? I'm Canadian, so that makes us neighbors! But don't worry. I won't get mad if you aren't a fan of hockey or something."

Joe cleared his throat, signaling Lilli to stop chattering. "I can see we'll have to skip over the typical introductions," he said. "Fair enough, since this isn't a typical team. Lilli's time with the defunct Alpha and Beta Flight squads gave her experience in the field that defied her age. Believe it or not she was one of the first to sign up when the Act was instituted. While not as polished as the rest of you, her enthusiasm and ability to react under pressure brought her to us, where her phasing powers will come in handy."

"Right," was all Cynthia could say as she looked over the energetic heroine beside her. The sarcasm in her voice seemed to go unnoticed by the youth, who was still smiling.

"Colleen Wing," Joe continued as he motioned to the final female in the room. "Trained to be a samurai by her grandfather in the mountain range of Hoshu. Most notably affiliated with the Heroes For Hire, most of whom have gone underground. Her skills with bladed weaponry and intimate knowledge of rebellious vigilantes put her as my second in command."

"Among other things," Colleen added. "I was personally appointed by Tony Stark himself for reasons I'm not at liberty to say."

"Ooo," Ghost Girl said as she glanced at Colleen. "The sword lady has secrets. So exciting!"

"We have another member joining us tomorrow afternoon," Blue Shield stated. "Before he arrives I'd like to get things situated with you three. That is, if we can get through the rest of this without any further interruptions."

As Blue Shield stared down Bonfire and Ghost Girl, the younger of the two blushed again and placed her hands under her legs. Joe nodded, hoping that what he had read in their profiles would live up to his expectations. First impressions could be damaging, but he was determined to make FSI: 49 work.

* * *

_**THURSDAY, 3:21pm**_

The somewhat frail form of Lilli floated between the chaos around her. A few flakes of snow blew through her intangible state, sending little tingling sensations as they passed. Her small cape fluttered from her shoulders as she looked to her left and right sides multiple times, focusing on the groups of teammates that needed her help.

"What's a Ghost Girl to do?" she exclaimed.

On one side she saw Blue Shield and the samurai Colleen Wing fend off hordes of what had been referred to as "Moloids." Colleen's silvery sword slashed back and forth, cutting down entire crops of the mutated underworld dwellers, while Blue Shield did his best to keep the creatures off her back by deflecting them with his force field. They had made a run at the Mole Man, who was perched atop a snow bank, tossing orders out to his minions.

On the other side she saw an older man garbed in drab, dented, purple armor pull himself out of a crater, which he had created when the Abomination had dive-bombed into him. The scruff around his chin made him look almost comical, and Ghost Girl might have laughed if the scene weren't so terrifying. Both the Abomination and the fiery Bonfire were laid out at Ahab's feet, fighting off the effects of the villain's harpoons, which were causing all of their pain receptors to fire at once.

Both sets of teammates needed her, and both sets needed her _now_. She wouldn't be able to move fast enough to help one after another, meaning whoever she went to first left the others at a disadvantage they might not live through.

So, Ghost Girl would do the only thing she could. She would split herself into two, right down the middle.

Lilli curled her fingers into balled fists and closed her eyes, shaking her arms from intense concentration. She had attempted the split before, and the exertion had nearly knocked her out. Of course, that had been within a controlled environment at the Department H headquarters in Canada. The group of scientists studying and training her there had theorized that she could distort reality itself, which was how she was able to phase through objects. They had labeled her as a Legacy Case, meaning her powers had deeper roots than she knew about and she had yet to learn the extent of them. Before the Initiative, Lilli had been working on discovering her potential.

She felt the rift in reality that comprised her cellular structure start to fold in on itself. Just before her entire body bent inward she extended her powers and pushed back out, causing a tear to form on her forehead that bled a brilliant golden light. The strain was almost too much for her, but her teammates needed her. She gave one final mental shove and felt herself separate into two beings.

Where one heroine had floated now hovered two, one the exact double of the other. Both looked slightly more transparent than the singular version, but otherwise they were flawless twins.

"Wow," they said in unison. "What a rush. Okay! You go take care of the pirate man and I'll help with the mole guys. No, _you_ go take care of… Stop copying me!"

Both girls mimicked one another's movements perfectly while they each spoke the exact same words. The two transparent heroines scrunched up their faces in irritation before letting it dissolve into a broad smile.

"Oh, right! Duh. Okay, we can do this. Just concentrate, Lilli."

The pair both moved to the left, then to the right, blocking each other's path. After a moment of scrunching their faces again, the two separate Ghost Girls went to aid their teammates.

The first reached the army of Moloids and swooped in to the pair of heroes fending them off. Blue Shield had his force field extended as far as it would go, using the surrounding aura to pummel the creatures as he threw a right cross at three of the shorter Moloids. Colleen slashed off an arm with one quick stroke and then spun around, bringing her blade into the side of another enemy. Together they were holding their ground, but it wouldn't be long before they were overtaken.

"What can I do?" Ghost Girl asked as she floated over the brawl. One of the Moloids caught sight of her and leapt into the air, attempting to grapple her to the ground. Instead the creature passed harmlessly through her and fell on top of two other Moloids, bowling them over. "Ha! That will teach ya."

"Quite fooling around!" Blue Shield ordered. "Phase through the closest ones and give us some breathing room!"

Ghost Girl complied as she swooped in low to the ground, circling both Blue Shield and Colleen Wing. She extended her arms out as if portraying Peter Pan and tilted her head forward. As her intangible body passed through each Moloid, the creatures began to slump back and fall over, unconscious. The shock of having something share the same space as their own molecules was took much for them to handle. The legion behind the fallen ones looked startled as they began to back away from the heroes, unsure of whether or not to proceed.

"Impressive," Colleen muttered to the worn Ghost Girl as she touched down. "But we're not done yet."

"_Whew!_" Ghost Girl blurted out as she fanned herself with one hand. "I am. Partially phasing through that much monster really takes a lot out of me."

"That's okay," Blue Shield said as he quickly drew a bead on the Mole Man, who stood a football field's length away from them. The villain was flapping his arms wildly, apparently upset over how his minions were being treated. "You gave us a second to regroup. Good job. Now that you've thinned the herd we should be able to get to the ringleader."

Colleen rubbed the shoulder of her sword-bearing arm, massaging away the lactic acid that had built up within her muscles. She nodded in agreement before looking across the battlefield to check on how the others were fairing. When she caught sight of what was transpiring she did a quick double take, trading glances between Ghost Girl and the fight ensuing with the other members of their team.

"The cold must be getting to me," the samurai stated. "I'm seeing double."

"Oh. That's just a reality-bending duplicate of me. She'll help out the others while we kick our own butt. I mean, kick their butts, not our _own._ That would just be silly. But as long as we merge again in the next few minutes we shouldn't have to worry about a resonance cascade."

Colleen shot the young heroine a curious look. "And just what is a resonance cascade?"

"The Department H guys said it was bad. Like, crossing the streams bad. Whatever that means."

"We'll work it out later," Blue Shield said over his shoulder. "Priority one is taking down the Mole Man. Let's move, team!"

Colleen brandished her sword, preparing to slice through whatever else came between her and her adversary. She took one last look at the Abomination and Bonfire as well as the photocopy of Ghost Girl, before charging off after Blue Shield. Their leader was right. Much like the ways of the discipline she had mastered, her current predicament forced her to focus on the matter at hand and trust in fate to guide them to victory.

She just hoped that whatever experience the youngest of their number had acquired had also graced her with wisdom.

* * *

_**WEDNESDAY, 1:10pm**_

"I _can_ fly, you know," Bonfire said. Her bright red uniform that the Academy had provided her with only days ago stuck out against the puke green of the Abomination's scaled skin. "You really don't have to throw me."

While the three ground floors of their base provided dormitories, a conference room, a stocked kitchen, office space, a gym, and a war room, the area to practice their skills collectively in took up an entire subbasement floor. Most of the room was covered in mats and in one corner sat a collection of lifeless automatons. The team had gathered at Blue Shield's order, preparing to go through its first group training session. Now that their entire roster had arrived and settled in, it was time to work out field tactics.

"Ah, but can you fly as far as I can throw you?" Emil Blonsky, the gamma-powered Abomination, asked. His ugly and putrid face smirked at the lithe woman that struggled slightly in his grip. "We can always see, _da_?"

Colleen eyed the Abomination carefully as she polished her sword. She hadn't yet spoken to the giant since his arrival the day before, and since his initial act upon meeting them was to insult them all, she doubted that the rest would be talking to him willingly either.

"Blonsky!" Blue Shield shouted as he crossed the large and open room to where they were waiting. "Put Cynthia down, _now_. Our first training session is not going to be our last, and I'll be damned if I let you off your leash long enough to injure a member of this team."

"Aye, aye, commander." The brute gently put Bonfire back on the ground and took a few steps back. If it weren't for the high ceilings he would have easily bumped his head with each step. "I was merely showing her a maneuver I had heard of called 'the fastball special'. I hear it is quite effective."

"Save the innocent tone," Blue Shield shot back at him. "Stark stuck me with you, and I have to deal with that. But don't think for one second that because you were granted a pardon for complying with the Supervillain Correctional Program that—"

"Yes, yes," the Abomination replied with a wave of his gargantuan hand. "I'm sure you have instructions to do whatever you deem necessary if I, how you say, get out of hand. Rest assured, commander, that my own military background will prove to you that I am quite capable of following orders. I'm also sure you were debriefed on the fact that I am a _willing_ participant in that program, so I would advise you to restrain your _own_ tone."

A distinct metallic _sching!_ rang out, catching all of their attention. Colleen Wing slipped her sword, now returned to its scabbard, over her shoulder and into place. "Perhaps we can avoid some of this confrontation if we simply begin the exercise," Colleen offered. "Joseph? How will this work, exactly? Will the staff operate the equipment involved in the session or do the drones run themselves?"

"Actually," Blue Shield responded, "they're on auto. Everything here is. We don't have a support staff. It's just us up here."

"What?" Cynthia blurted out. "You mean the only company I'm going to get up here is you guys? Dude, that's going to get old _real_ quick. I'll be itching for a bad guy to show up after a week…"

The normally bubbly Ghost Girl gently floated near the green giant, looking him up and down with her wide eyes. "Weren't you the archenemy of the Hulk?" she inquired. "Was he bigger than you? 'Cause you're pretty big, not that size matters…"

"From what I understand, little one, the ill-famed incredible Hulk has been removed from this planet, which is one of the reasons I have agreed to partake in this ridiculous exercise called the Initiative."

"Well, I'm not working with you," Bonfire spat out. Her slender arms were crossed over her chest and her posture had changed to suggest that her mind had been made up. "I _just_ met you, and what do you do? Piss me off. Forget it. There's no way in hell I'll ever team up with you on anything, you got that?"

* * *

_**THURSDAY, 3:23pm**_

The brute strength provided to the Abomination by gamma exposure should have provided the endurance necessary to bare one of Ahab's strikes, but even he was forced down by the unbearable pain of his nerves all clenching at once. The cold snow under his bulky frame melted against his green skin as he convulsed, letting small grunts out every so often to express his pain.

Screaming in agony beside him was Bonfire, suffering from the same attack. Every few seconds she would unleash a burst of flame from her outstretched arms, an involuntary act brought about by the torment her body was undergoing. Her fiery hair had been doused from lack of concentration, although her reflexes tried to reignite it every time her powers hiccupped.

"Imbeciles, the both of ya," Ahab scolded from behind them. His dented purple armor still held together, although his hair had been singed from Bonfire's attacks. "I ought to scrap you both, but I'm a little pressed for time. The underground rodent can't keep all of you off my back forever. Of course, that doesn't mean I can't take a second to enjoy my work, now does it?"

Ahab raised his left leg, now a peg which had been mostly replaced by cybernetic components as was the rest of his body, and stabbed it between Bonfire's shoulder blades. The peg drove between the bones, expelling whatever air was left in her lungs and nearly knocking her out.

"I thought you might be a mutant," Ahab said as he looked over the squirming Bonfire, "but you be something else I think. Something different. A shame I don't have enough time to examine you a might closer. Don't worry, though. Before long I'm betting your minds will simply shut down from the pain, leaving you both brain dead."

"Not if I can help it!"

Ahab had turned to leave but upon hearing the new voice he paused, looking over his shoulder. He saw the second Ghost Girl, standing in the snow a few yards away with her hands propped on her hips in a heroic pose. Her cape flapped wildly in the wind behind her and she possessed a look of stern resignation, which amused the villain.

"Seeing fit to join your friends? As you wish, little girl."

The time-tossed mutant hunter formed a lance of energy in his right palm, mentally commanding it to elongate into one of his harpoons. He cocked his arm back and without a second thought he let fly the deadly spear, aiming directly for Ghost Girl's head. At first the villain smiled, sure that this minor irritation would only hold him back for a second, but when the harpoon passed through the young girl his smile turned into a sneer.

Ghost Girl took to the air and headed for her downed teammates. "Can't hit me even if you wanted to!" she called out as she reached for the two harpoons stuck in the lower backs of both the Abomination and Bonfire.

"Touch those harpoons and I won't have to, little girl. If you try and rip them out of your friends you'll be in for… What?!"

Ghost Girl ignored the purple-clad villain, gripping a harpoon in each hand and yanking them free with a sharp tug. The energy lances quickly dispersed in her faded hands once they had been pulled, much to the dismay of Ahab.

"That's not possible!" he exclaimed as he stared in awe.

"For someone who isn't in total sync with this reality," Bonfire said as she began to stand up uneasily, "I'd say it's entirely possible. Thanks, Lil."

"My pleasure!" the eager young heroine replied.

"Now." Bonfire flexed her fingers a few times before twin balls of fire ignited in her palms. Her pupils glazed over in a red haze as she felt her strength return to her, and with it, control over her powers. The strands of hair atop her head suddenly burst into a crackling bout of flame, reacting to her level of aggression. "Where were we?"

Before she could launch a burst of flame at Ahab, a green battering ram in the shape of the Abomination's arm slammed into the villain's chest and sent him flying across the tundra. Bonfire quickly extinguished the balls of fire in her hands and shot Blonsky an irritated look, saying, "Jerk."

"The feeling, I'm sure, is mutual," the towering goliath replied. "Suffice it to say I do not enjoy witty banter as much as the next person. I much prefer to end this fight. Now if you are done trying to talk him to death perhaps we can finish this?"

Bonfire let out a disgusted sigh. She could feel her blood beginning to boil, but she fought back the urge to bathe the aggravating ogre in streams of fire. They had a job to do and she had to set her priorities. There would always be time later to try and burn off the Abomination's scales.

"Jerk," she repeated as she took to the air after Ahab.

The Abomination let out a deep, resonating chuckle as he bounded off toward their foe. He looked back at Ghost Girl, noticing a worried look on her face, but decided that whatever was wrong she could handle it. Ahab would take precedence over the concern of a teenager.

Ghost Girl, however, was sure that something was seriously wrong. She held up a hand and saw it begin to glow, pulsating rhythmically and getting brighter with every second. "Oh no," she muttered. "I wonder if this is what a resonance cascade looks like?"

* * *

NEXT ISSUE: StormFront's first mission wraps up with a bang, but is it the good kind or the bad kind? Plus, we'll see just how insulting Blonsky was when he first arrived and Blue Shield gets a few interesting facts thrown his way!


	3. Chapter 3

Part of the Fifty States Initiative!

**StormFront**

Issue #3 written by D. Golightly

"Storm of the Century – Part Three"

* * *

_**TUESDAY, 2:05pm**_

"Do we all have to be out here in the cold?" Cynthia Smalls, codename: Bonfire, asked as she stood shivering. Her red hair was flapping in the cool, brisk Alaskan wind and the orange uniform she had just been issued clung to her body tightly.

"Yes," Blue Shield, the fledgling team's leader, answered gruffly. He had just met the other three members of FSI: 49, and they were now collectively waiting for their final member to join them. "Your dossier said you shouldn't have a problem warming yourself up."

"Yeah, this is like your home turf, right?" Ghost Girl inquired as her barely visible floating form turned to look at Bonfire. "Isn't all this snow like summer to you? I know that in Canada we—"

"I just don't see why we have to wait around for a supervillain," Bonfire interrupted. "Are you sure you got this right, Joey?"

Blue Shield shot an irritated look over his shoulder at the younger heroine. He saw Colleen Wing standing vigilant behind her, fighting not to let a small smirk show on her face. The samurai woman was more focused on the arrival of their last team member, the Abomination, who was being sent to them at Tony Stark's request through the Supervillian Correctional Program that the Initiative had instituted. Joseph had wanted the fledgling team ready to greet Blonksy, not only to ensure their first meeting went smoothly, but also so that if the green behemoth caused trouble the necessary muscle to take him down would be front and center.

Before he could reply the black SHIELD helicopter, identical to the one that had brought all of them to the remote installation, flew into view. Its rotors fought against the cold, stabbing breeze that Alaska was known for, giving credit to the pilot's skills. It circled once around the three-storey complex that was the headquarters for FSI: 49 before landing squarely on the helipad.

The side hatch opened to reveal a mountain of a man, or perhaps a creature, who had to duck to step out of the helicopter. Emil Blonsky, also known as the destructive Abomination, grinned a wide, toothy sneer at the collection of heroes as he approached. He wore nothing but a pair of blue tights, the cold seemingly unaffecting him.

"Greetings," the behemoth said.

"Hi!" the bubbly Ghost Girl replied. "I'm Lilli. That's Cynthia. That's Joseph. That's Colleen. We're superheroes! Welcome to our club."

Bonfire let out a small snort. "This isn't a club, you wacked out freak."

"Don't let her get to you," Lilli added quickly without taking her eyes off of Emil. "She's always crabby."

"What would make you think I _care_, little one?" the still sneering Abomination said. His expression made him look as if he was prepared to eat them. "Are they allowing children into this regime? I was under the impression that the Initiative had requirements to enlist. Get away from me and return to your parents, child."

Ghost Girl's form began to fade and become transparent as she took a few steps back from Blonsky. Colleen stared at the green giant with one hand resting almost comfortably on the hilt of her sword.

"Take me to where I am to sleep," the Abomination said coldly. "Do not disturb me."

"Now hold on a second!" Bonfire said as her hair began to smoke. She hadn't yet activated her powers but it appeared as if she was ready to at a moment's notice. "You're a bad guy! You don't give _us_ orders. We give _you_ orders. And I don't appreciate the attitude."

"Easy, Cynthia," Blue Shield said as he readied his force field.

"I have no need to be protected," Blonsky said. "I am here as a _courtesy_. Do not mistake my kindness of friendship."

"Kindness?" Bonfire blurted out. "Ha! That's a joke."

"Forgive me." The Abomination stood up to his full height, towering over all of them, and flexed his chest muscles which caused his green scales to ripple. "What I meant was that I turned myself in to the authorities and volunteered for this program. I am here of my own volition, but do not think that will stop me from snapping your pathetic little neck."

"That's it," Blue Shield said as he stepped between them. "Inside. Now."

"As you wish," the Abomination said. "This team, if it can even be referred to as such, will not last a week."

The Abomination proceeded to walk through the frightened Ghost Girl, avoiding Colleen Wing's gaze completely. Bonfire was fuming, literally, and Blue Shield was letting out the deep breath he had been holding.

Joseph hoped that Blonksy was wrong, but as of yet, he had no evidence to contradict the green behemoth. So far FSI: 49 was barely a cohesive unit and with the new arrival of a possibly uncontrollable villain he doubted things would get any easier. He motioned for the others to follow him toward the complex, trailing behind the Abomination. He noticed that his footprints in the fresh snow were barely half the size of Blonsky's, which sent a chill up his spine that had nothing to do with the low temperature.

* * *

_**THURSDAY, 3:30pm**_

"Kill them!" the Mole Man screamed at the top of his lungs, making his voice hoarse. "Kill them all now, my Moloids!"

Blue Shield extended his force field out as far as it would reach, illuminating the soft, snow-packed ground under them with a blue hue. What seemed like hundreds of Moloids, the vicious underworld dwelling creatures at the Mole Man's command, pounded against his shielding and threatened to break through. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed himself to his limits, ensuring that he and his teammate wouldn't be trampled from the rushing creatures.

Colleen Wing was taking the opposite approach to their situation. Her sword swung in long arcs, slicing off any Moloid arms and legs that came close enough. The silver blade effortlessly cut into the creatures' flesh, striking down enough to stock a landfill with. She was also exerting herself beyond measure, but retained an air of grace as she fought.

Behind them was one of the twin Ghost Girls, having split herself into two entities to help both sets of StormFront. She had rushed to help them, and had succeeded in that task, however now she was beginning to feel uneasy. The same burst of light that had erupted from within her after splitting herself down the middle had returned, this time emanating from her entire body. Some of the Moloids shirked away from her quaking form as she began to glow all the more, the light soon mixing with that of Blue Shield's force field.

They had worked their way up the icy hill atop of which stood the Mole Man, who was hollering out orders to his minions. The crowd of Moloids had thickened significantly as they moved up the hill, but they were still inching their way through. Slowly, surely, the trio ascended toward their foe.

"Lilli's in trouble!" Colleen screamed to Joseph over her shoulder.

Blue Shield couldn't spare the concentration it would take to pull his eyes away from his force field and look at Ghost Girl. "Lilli!" he yelled. "Can you hear me?"

"Y…y…yes…," she feebly replied.

"What's going on? What's happening to you?"

"Th…th…the scientists at Department H….c…c…called it a resonance c…cascade. I need to phase back with myself…"

"Kill them!" the Mole Man continued to yell from his perch above the chaos.

The Moloids pressed on at their master's command, slamming rough fists against Blue Shield's force field. Joseph nearly buckled under the strain, but Colleen placed a gentle hand on his lower back for support before she turned back to slash at another set of creatures.

"Lilli, we'll get you help!" Blue Shield said. "But you need to pull it together first! Concentrate!"

Ghost Girl was shaking even more uncontrollably now, but her scrunched face showed her to be in deep concentration as she tried to rein in her powers. She had held herself together when she split, why couldn't she do it now? She knew she had it in her. She just had to _believe _it.

The light began to die down around her as she felt herself gain more control over her reality bending powers again. She was still shaking as if trying to contain the power of an atomic bomb, but she had noticeably become more docile.

"Good!" Blue Shield said. "Very good, Lilli! Now I need you to do one last thing for me, okay?"

Ghost Girl nodded as Blue Shield pounded away on the Moloids trying to break through his force field. His field could act like an aura, bending to his will and condensing inches away from his skin in a thin veil that was impervious to most physical assaults. After having it studied at Project: Pegasus he had learned that it had other characteristics as well, but he still knew that what he was about to do was a huge gamble.

Twisting within the force field, Blue Shield covered his arms in the solid aura and slammed the end into Ghost Girl. There was an explosion of light that covered the entire hill, forcing the Moloids back. Some of them tumbled down the slope, squawking in anger. Shocked and unprepared, the partially solid heroine soared through the air back in the direction she had flown in from. Colleen saw the strike and nearly allowed a Moloid to clip her leg before swinging down with her sword.

"What the hell, Joe!" she exclaimed as she tried to regain her stance.

"She'll be fine," Blue Shield said as he started to run up the now cleared hill to the startled Mole Man. "She said she needs to merge with her double or we're all toast. She'll have a better chance of doing it if she's actually _near_ her double. Let's move!"

Colleen ran behind Blue Shield, now intent on capturing the Mole Man before he could rally his army again. She tossed a look over her shoulder and saw that Ghost Girl was indeed headed in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the Abomination was having trouble dodging the stray harpoon bolts of Ahab, the futuristic mutant hunter. Across the battlefield and closer to the town of Eek, where the chaos had begun, the gamma-powered giant charged through a small shack on the outskirts of town, seeing no need to sidestep the structure.

"Show some class, you animal!" the fiery form of Bonfire called down to him from where she flew in the air. "You're not supposed to destroy the town you're trying to save!"

The Abomination ignored her as he charged down the desolate street toward their target. Ahab had paused as he looked back and forth between the buildings, as if confused on where to run next. His armor was dented and torn, mostly from Blonsky pummeling him after Bonfire had weakened the purple armor with searing blasts of intense heat.

The double of Ghost Girl popped out from behind a flatbed truck parked on the side of the road, glowing the same brilliant light as her counterpart. She had phased through the buildings and flanked Ahab, hoping that the sooner they ended this conflict, the sooner she would be able to merge back with herself. Whatever a resonance cascade was, it didn't feel good…

"Stop, you big meanie!" she called out as she raised a palm toward the villain.

Ahab responded by blindly throwing out a set of harpoon blasts that were roughly aimed toward her. One slammed into the truck, igniting its undercarriage and engulfing the transparent Ghost Girl in flames. She screamed even though in her current state the fire couldn't harm her, and covered her face with both hands. The light emanating from within her was glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second as she gave in to her fear and lost her concentration.

"Relax!" Bonfire shouted as she swooped in low over the blaze. She outstretched her arms and began to take in the licking flames, absorbing them easily within her hands. The fire joined the flames already surrounding her, harmlessly dissolving into her body.

Pain suddenly erupted into all of her senses and the flames that had seemed so strong a second ago quickly diminished, dying off as she fell to the ground.

"That will teach you to turn your back," Ahab said with a sneer.

"I would say the same to you."

The Abomination slammed a solid right punch directly into Ahab's back, sending the villain sailing through the air with enough force to slam into the charred remains of the flatbed truck. What was left of his purple chestplate broke away, crumbling to pieces around his now groggy form.

No sooner had Ahab lifted his head than he saw one of the Ghost Girls flying toward him with a look of pure glee. "Catch me!" she squealed as she descended at an incredible velocity.

The other Ghost Girl dove in front of Ahab at the last second and opened her arms wide. The two collided together in a burst of magnificent light that resulted in a muffled explosion which sent Ahab sailing through the air again. His head knocked against an overhanging lamppost and he fell to the ground in a heap.

The Abomination stooped over and picked up the stunned Ahab, palming his fist in one massive green fist. He began to squeeze, sneering as the mutant hunter began to squirm in his grip.

"Stop, Blonsky!"

Turning, the green behemoth saw Blue Shield approaching, dragging a muttering Mole Man behind him. Colleen Wing had approached also, running to the fallen Bonfire to tend to her. Ghost Girl, now reformed and feeling quite happy, floated over to Colleen with a large smile on her face.

"I mean it," Blue Shield added. "Put him down now."

The Abomination made no move to release the captured villain. Colleen, content that Bonfire would be fine once she was brought to the infirmary, slowly stood up and moved to Blonsky's side, slowly drawing out her sword a few inches.

Blue Shield pulled the Mole Man up and tossed him at the Abomination's feet. "We've secured the area," he said. "Once we nabbed the Mole Man all his minions dove beneath the ice. You've caught Ahab. Fight's over. Now put. Him. Down."

"This semblance of heroics is wasted on me," the Abomination muttered as he dropped Ahab to the ground beside the Mole Man. Colleen gently pushed her sword back into its sheath and moved beside Blue Shield.

"Start talking," Blue Shield commanded as he turned his glare on the Mole Man.

"Never!" the fat villain responded. "Our allies will succeed where we failed!"

"Shut it, you bulbous imbecile!" Ahab retorted. "He's watching us, judging us!"

"Who?" Colleen asked. "Who's watching you?"

The Mole Man opened his mouth but a look from Ahab shut his mouth. "Never you mind, lass," the bruised mutant hunter stated coldly. "You'll find out soon enough I expect."

* * *

_**TUESDAY, 6:08pm**_

"Joseph," Colleen Wing said, "a word?"

Blue Shield paused in the corridor and looked over his shoulder. He had planned to return to his office and begin planning their next training session, having realized that working with a team made up of such different personalities, to put it delicately, would be more difficult than he originally thought. Their headquarters had little in the way of artistic design, as it had been made ready for their arrival quite quickly. The Initiative had been thrown together nearly overnight and while the complex had everything they needed, it was still a cold and sterile environment.

At the very least he was glad to have Colleen on the team. She was possibly the most experienced out of them and he would be relying on her as the second-in-command. "Is everything alright?" he asked in return.

She motioned toward his office door, silently insinuating that they step inside. He nodded and ushered her inside, closing the door behind them. His computer screen glowed in the relative darkness of the room, displaying a screen-saver with the SHIELD crest. They both sat down and Joseph raised his eyebrows in anticipation of what she wanted to discuss.

"As I've stated," she began, "Director Stark placed me with FSI: 49 for a reason."

Blue Shield didn't reply, but he had overhear her say something to that effect earlier. He had assumed that she was making her role seem more important to the other teammates. He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"To be blunt, Blonsky is not to be trusted. Even though he is a willing participant in the Supervillain Correctional Program, I have been charged with keeping a watchful eye on him."

This surprised Joseph. He hadn't expected to hear something like this from her. "You're a plant," he stated with an air of disdain.

"No, not at all. I have no authority over this unit. I am only directed to file daily reports on the Abomination's activity with the Director."

"And if you observe him doing something that goes against his agreement with SHIELD?"

Colleen unsheathed her samurai sword that hung on her shoulder and offered the blade to him. He examined it, but was unsure of what she was trying to tell him. The blade was heavy and appeared to be incredibly sharp.

"This blade was fashioned for me by SHIELD engineers," Colleen explained. "It is unique on this world, made of a metal I'm sure you will recognize by name: adamantium."

Blue Shield was beginning to understand what she was implying. Adamantium was a virtually indestructible alloy and incredibly rare. If SHIELD had provided a trained samurai with one of the few weapons on Earth that could actually pierce the tough hide of a gamma-irradiated monster…

Colleen matched Blue Shield's gaze, saying, "I have been given authorization to terminate the Abomination should he become problematic."

* * *

_**FRIDAY, 10:17am**_

"I don't appreciate being left in the dark," Blue Shield told the tele-screen glowing in the dark room he sat in. "It's one thing to stick me with a group that has absolutely no back-up support, but to issue secret orders without informing me? That's the line."

His mask was removed, revealing the stern look on his face. His hair was cropped in military precision, something he was getting accustomed to since joining the Initiative. When he had enlisted he thought it would be much better than his previous government experience, that of Project: Pegasus, but he had apparently been misled. The taste of mendacity was a bitter one.

"Colleen wing was placed with your team for a specific reason," the SHIELD officer on the screen replied. "Tony Stark appointed her himself—"

"Why didn't he tell me she was here to keep an eye on Blonksy? Did he think I wouldn't approve?" He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, looking up at the screen. "If I'm in charge of FSI: 49 I expect to be kept in the loop, Deputy Director Hill."

Maria Hill glared back at him, but it was obvious that there was sympathy in her expression. "The isolation of your territory was the reason the Abomination was placed in your command. The significance of FSI: 49 is much more than babysitting, I assure you. I apologize on behalf of SHIELD, Joseph."

"The Mole Man implied he was working for someone else," Blue Shield said, deciding to just let it drop and change the subject. "Any intell on that, or are there more secrets being kept from me?"

"We think it may have something to do with the Collective, but we aren't sure yet. It touched down just a few miles from where you intercepted them. We're looking into the Mole Male's last known accomplices. Until I can get you more information to follow up with, we've gotten reports of a werewolf-like creature attacking random towns throughout the eastern part of the state. You're to deploy your team in the morning to investigate. I'm sending you the briefing now."

"Werewolf_-like_?" Blue Shield inquired with a raised eyebrow. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Reports are sketchy at the moment," Maria replied, "but we think it may have something to do with on Jack Russell."

Blue Shield's mouth hung open at the name. "Wait. I know that name."

Maria nodded. "He's more commonly known as the Werewolf By Night, and if he's gone berserk, it may take your whole team to bring him in."

* * *

NEXT ISSUE: Now that the team has gone through their first mission, will they be prepared for what awaits them in the wild wilderness? Don't assume you know who they'll be tangling with!


	4. Chapter 4

**StormFront**

Issue #4 written by D. Golightly

"Beast of Burden"

"This stinks."

The lithe form of Bonfire, doused from head to toe in flame of her own creation, rocketed through the air with ease. Her orange and red bodysuit, created specifically for her at the Initiative Academy, hugged her firm body like a glove. A few residents of the small eastern Alaskan town she flew over looked up at her in surprise.

A trail of fire was left in her wake as she roared over the small town, but quickly dissipated. She casually stared down at the snow covered area, barely paying attention to anything other than random landmarks.

"Less complaining; more searching," Blue Shield, the commander of FSI: 49, said into her ear through the tiny com-link. "Pay attention and don't let anything slip by you. These people are counting on you."

"Don't be so dramatic, Joey. I grew up in Alaska, remember? _Nothing_ ever happens up here."

"So what was all that 'nothing' that we went up against last week?"

The fledgling Fifty States Initiative team had just come off of their first official mission, that of stopping the mutant hunter known as Ahab and the underground varsity villain called the Mole Man.***** Both were now in custody, even though they hadn't discovered exactly what their goal had been.

*** [For the official report, check out the first three issues – D]**

The Mole Man had alluded to someone behind their schemes, but that was no longer their concern. Deputy Director Maria Hill of SHIELD had given them their latest assignment, but so far they hadn't learned anything.

"Hey, don't get me wrong," Bonfire replied. "I'm glad we took on those two morons. I'm just saying that it's been a week and there's been no sign of this Russell wolf guy. If I were in charge—"

"You're not." Joe Cartelli, the leader of StormFront called Blue Shield, said with an air of irritation in his voice. "Keep searching, and for the last time, do _not_ call me Joey. Over and out."

Bonfire sighed but didn't reopen the channel to argue. It was pointless. After being rushed through the Academy and escorted back to her home state of Alaska to participate in the Initiative program, Cynthia Smalls had anticipated a life somehow different from this. She thought that since she was the only member of StormFront that was actually born in the state they were protecting she might be taken a little more seriously.

Instead, she was on patrol duty, searching for Jack Russell, otherwise known as the Werewolf by Night.

There had been several murders throughout the eastern part of the state that were linked to the feral, unregistered superhuman. Jack suffered from lycanthropy, and according to his file, 'suffered' was the accurate word. Jack had little control over his transformations and whenever he changed it usually meant that someone had to keep track of a body count.

At each scene there had reportedly found hair, claw marks, and blood. The hair was animal, but the blood was human. The samples had been too small, or in some cases damaged, to make a proper identification, but SHIELD's main suspect was Jack Russell. Apparently he had been spotted in the area not long ago and the murders matched his random pattern.

After searching relentlessly for a week, Bonfire and the others had found nothing. No murders, no suspects, no clues…nothing. She had been forced to pass the time by thinking about her own past and wondering when her secrets would be exposed. As far as SHIELD knew she was a mutate, which was similar to a human mutant. But she hadn't been completely honest with them when disclosing her history.

"Hey, want some company?"

Bonfire rolled over in midair and formed a ball of fire in her hand. She left out the breath she had been holding and extinguished the flame when she saw that the comment hadn't come from an enemy, but rather her own teammate.

"Go away, Lilli."

The prim and youthful Ghost Girl simply smiled in return. "Come on! Don't hog all the fun for yourself. I just want to search and help out, too."

"Fun? This isn't _fun_. This is _boring_."

"But we're on an adventure!" Ghost Girl replied. "Action! Suspense! Intrigue!"

"Annoying teammates…" Bonfire muttered.

"Hey, that's not fair. Was it annoying when I saved the whole team last week?"

"No. Sorry. You're right. In fact, let's race to the next checkpoint. If you win, I'll never insult you again. If I win, you promise to never join me on a patrol again."

Without waiting for a response, Bonfire rocketed out into the open sky, leaving a blazing trail of fire in her wake for Ghost Girl to follow. Excited, a gleeful look spread over Ghost Girl's face. She squinted her eyes, mustered all her strength, and took off as fast as her frail body would allow.

The pair of girls swept over the clouds, rushing toward the next town. This one, much larger than the last few, had a sighting of the animal attacker already. It was here that Jack Russell had been spotted three days ago, but had completely disappeared by the time StormFront had arrived.

Bonfire punched through a cloud, her aura dispersing the collected water vapor. The other town was in sight and she began her descent. A quick look over her shoulder showed her that Ghost Girl was nowhere to be found.

"Loser," she muttered as she dove toward the town.

"You're a loser!" Ghost Girl screamed as she rocketed _through_ Bonfire.

The Alaskan hero felt a chilling sensation as her teammate phased through her body. She suddenly felt clammy, as if a cold towel had been pressed against his insides. Ghost Girl harmlessly passed through her and Bonfire's hesitation at having been used like a doorway gave the younger girl enough of a lead to get to the ground first.

"I win!" Ghost Girl said as she hopped up and down.

Bonfire gently touched down in front of her and doused her flames. "Yeah, you win," she said, "but only because you cheated. Don't _ever_ do that to me again, _comprende_?"

Ghost Girl's reply was muffled by the sound of the wall behind her exploding. Bits of wood and plaster splashed across her back as a mighty roar deafened her. A monstrous beast, easily three times the size as her, stepped out from inside what was left of the structure.

Snarling lips were wrapped around pointy teeth that extended out from a hairy face. Fur covered the mammoth animal completely, leaving no need for clothing. The tousled white hair hung everywhere, making it impossible to tell if the creature was male or female. Ghost Girl's pupils dilated in the shadow of the beast and she clasped her hands to her chest as she slowly turned to face the monster.

"Don't move," Bonfire whispered.

"I don't think I can," Ghost Girl replied, her voice just as soft.

The tall beast pulled in deep breaths, watching the two girls.

Regardless of what they could or could not determine, one indisputable fact was clearly evident: this was _not_ Jack Russell.

* * *

"Priority One call! Get to the hanger!"

Blue Shield slipped his mask over onto his face and ran out of his office, leaving the intercom he had just yelled into behind him. The building that StormFront had been stationed in wasn't very large. It would only take him a few moments to get to the hanger and meet with the others before departing.

He passed the recreation room, stopped, and turned back to peer into the room. Sitting on the couch, which now had its legs snapped off due to the weight of its sole occupant, was the Abomination. The green-scaled villain, a member of Blue Shield's team however much it detested him, sat watching television as if nothing was happening.

"Blonsky!" Blue Shield said. "Let's move!"

The Abomination turned his head just enough to convey that he had heard FSI: 49's leader, then turned his head back to ignore him.

"Bonfire called in a Priority One," Blue Shield continued, "that means we drop everything and move. Understand?"

"_Dah_," the Russian giant muttered. He remained on the smashed couch watching television.

Blue Shield felt his aura begin to charge up. He had been having more and more disagreements with Blonsky recently and was beginning to think that regardless of what Stark said, this villain was not going to integrate into the Initiative anytime soon. Their security was lax; only the five members of StormFront typically were on the base at any given point. There was no way the other four members could take on the Abomination if he decided to go rogue.

"Joseph," Colleen Wing said as she approached in the hallway. She looked passed him and into the room. "Did I not hear correctly? Shouldn't we be on the helicopter by now?"

Blue Shield nodded his head in Blonsky's direction.

"I see," Colleen replied.

She thumbed the hilt of her samurai blade to slide out just an inch, enough to convey her intent. Colleen had been assigned to that particular FSI team because of Stark: she was the contingency in case Blonsky got out of control. Her sword had been designed by SHIELD specialists and was in fact made of adamantium. It was probably the only thing within a hundred miles that remotely had a chance of harming the Abomination.

Joseph had his doubts about the effectiveness of a single blade on a monster, however.

"Blonsky," Colleen said, "Lilli is with Cynthia. She's in trouble."

The Abomination turned his head again. "The little one did not issue the distress call. She was assigned to a different sector this morning."

"She finished her scouting and joined Bonfire," Colleen said.

The Abomination placed his hands on his knees and rocked himself up to his full height. His head nearly bumped against the ceiling, and he had to crouch down to get through the doorway and into the hall where the others were watching. He scowled at both Blue Shield and Colleen before leaving them behind as he walked toward the hanger.

"What the hell was that about?" Blue Shield asked.

"I have observed that one closely at the Director's behest," Colleen said. "It seems we all have our secrets."

* * *

"StormFront Assemble!"

Ghost Girl squeaked immediately after issuing the battle cry as the white-furred monster's claws tore through her intangible body. Obviously unharmed by the attack, the languishing terror still overwhelmed her and she was too frightened to move.

"Please don't ever say that again," Bonfire said as she reignited her flames and torched the monster, bathing it in red and orange fire.

The monster roared, pushed back by the intense and sudden heat. The ends of its white fur were singed and wisps of smoke whirled around its massive body. It flexed its muscles in a sign of pure, unadulterated, animalistic rage and fury. The beast was impressive, and the showmanship of its brutal physique was par for the course as far as wild creatures went.

"Lilli! Move!" Bonfire ordered. The young heroines both retreated into the air and the relative safety it offered. Bonfire's orange flames danced around her soft skin, gently caressing her body much like a familiar lover. "You're going to be the death of me, girl."

"It's not my fault! The thing was drooling and everything!"

"Just keep it together, okay?" Bonfire glanced down at the still roaring monster and saw that it had diverted its attention away from them and onto a closer target. "Oh, crap."

"That's not good, is it?" Ghost Girl asked.

"Just get out of the way! Quick!"

The 2007 Ford Focus came hurtling at them at a speed much greater than they would have guessed. Ghost Girl went straight up while Bonfire dove under the car, allowing it to pass harmlessly between them. The lumbering automobile dropped back down toward the Earth just as quickly as it had ascended, heading directly for the small town's public library.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Cynthia said with an exasperated sigh. "Lilli, distract that thing, will ya?"

Bonfire manipulated her flame to burn hotter around her legs, giving her a burst of propulsion as she followed the descending car. A few townspeople looked up at the sight, baffled by the odd appearance of a vehicle with excellent gas mileage overhead. Alaska, while a vital part of the U.S. economy, wasn't accustomed to raining 4-cylinider automobiles.

As a woman in her early 40's sheltered her daughter with her own body, as well as the copy of _The Hungry Caterpillar_ that they had just acquired at the library, the shadow of the car crashing down toward them grew larger.

In an amazing display of dizzying fireworks and pyrotechnics, the 2007 Ford Focus suddenly exploded into chunks of hot, flaming metal. Bonfire concentrated, splashing her aura of fire onto the bits of car as it fell. She turned up the heat, instantly melting the chunks of exhaust, transmission, and radiator. By the time she was done, all that was left were four rubber tires, which bounced onto the street away from any pedestrians.

Cynthia, worn from the sudden exertion of using her powers more thoroughly than she ever had, breathed deeply. Her central aura was dimmer then usual and she wobbled in the air as opposed to maintaining a steady levitation.

The child being pressed to the ground by her mother waved her copy of _The Hungry Caterpillar_ at Bonfire, smiling broadly.

Behind her, Cynthia turned to see Ghost Girl still flying, but now much closer to the ground. She was swinging over and under the ripping claws of the white-furred monster, dodging with precision. The aeronautic display was impressive, but what was more impressive was the swath of destruction that the monster was leaving in its wake.

Entire sides of buildings had scrapes along the walls; several streetlamps were bent over at ninety degree angles; a mailbox at the corner of the intersection had been ripped in half like a bag of potato chips. The majority of the traffic had stopped and the people were all running away.

Bonfire shook her head and rubbed her eyes, though, because she thought they were playing tricks on her. She watched as Ghost Girl ducked under one set of claws, pass through another set, and then zip over two more pairs of claws. Four sets. Two for each monster.

_Two_ huge, hairy, beastly, snarling monsters.

"What, are these things like rabbits or something?" Bonfire said as she did her best to burn her flame brighter and rush to the aid of Ghost Girl.

Not that Ghost Girl really needed any aid. Currently in her immaterial form, she was busy occupying both beasts from picking up more cars or other random objects to hurl toward innocents. She still twitched every time a claw swiped through her incorporeal form, suggesting that her nerves had been shaken upon the appearance of twin brooding monsters.

Bonfire focused her energies and a lance of flame no thicker than a pencil ruptured the air. It struck the back of one of the beasts, burning away a small patch of fur. The monster roared, spun about, and locked its eyes directly on Bonfire, who was hovering precariously in the air. The thin beam of concentrated fire flickered and died.

Woozy from having already exhausted a good bit of flame, Bonfire bobbed up and down in the air slightly. Her attack had faltered and failed; she was nearly running on empty after having destroyed the automobile.

The white-furred creature bent at the knees slightly like an Olympic athlete ready to make the long jump. After a brief pause, the monster launched itself into the air using the incredible muscles in its legs while simultaneously announcing to the world its deadly intent with a loud explosion of vocals.

It didn't get ten feet before something big and green slammed into it.

The thick, green scales of the Abomination mixed with the matted white fur of the beast as the pair tumbled end over end into the street. The Abomination, nearly as tall as the Hulk, was only slightly larger than the beast he tangled with. Together they smashed into a light pole and bent it in half.

"Cynthia!" Colleen Wing called out from somewhere overheard.

Bonfire looked up to see the StormFront helicopter lowering to her with Blue Shield at the helm. Colleen, sword in hand, was leaning out the side hatch waving to her. She returned the wave, as if to say that was alright, and then she pointed at Ghost Girl. The younger teammate was still keeping the nearly mindless white beast occupied and she still looked frightened.

Colleen nodded her acknowledgement, yelled something to Blue Shield, and the helicopter swerved away from Bonfire and toward the middle of the intersection where it could land.

"Only in America would I find something so disgusting in the middle of nowhere," the Abomination taunted as he gripped the furry beast in a crushing bear hug. "You may bite as much as you like, my friend. I think you will find it unsatisfying."

The snarling creature slashed at his face and bit into his shoulder, thrashing wildly to try and get the Abomination to let it go. But, it was useless. The steel grip of Blonsky had held entire armies at bay. Once he had his footing and his fingers locked around each other, there was no getting out of his hold.

He shot Ghost Girl and the other monster a quick look before he closed his grip tighter and tighter. He heard a satisfying snap when the spine of his foe broke in half, severing between joints. He was sure that bits of cartilage would be floating in the spinal fluid.

"A little help, guys!" Lillie called out. "I know you probably aren't worried about me, but it sure would be nice if someone got this thing away from me before I have nightmares!"

Ghost Girl closed her eyes as the monster once again raised its arms and bellowed, spit flying through. It was about to swipe its massive claw through her body once again, but the roar suddenly stopped and the unruly sensation of something foreign slipping between her atoms was strangely absent. She opened her eyes and saw something thin and silver poking out of the monster's chest roughly where she would guess its heart to be.

Amongst its stark white fur was a trickle of red, slowly streaming down its front. Blood, which in the cold of Alaska, could cake nearly instantly and become entangled in the fur.

The monster stared at Ghost Girl as it breathed its last breath. It fell to its knees and the metal tip removed itself from the monster's chest, exiting the way it had entered: through the back.

From behind the monster, Colleen Wing raised her samurai sword and in one fell stroke, lopped off the monster's head. It rolled on the ground from the momentum of her swing, coming to a stop only when the Abomination placed his foot atop it.

"Two killing strokes in one day," Blonsky said as he picked up the head. "I am pleased, little samurai."

"I am not here for your entertainment," Colleen replied. "Death is always sad, regardless if it a friend's or an enemy's."

"You know what makes me sad?" Ghost Girl said as she reverted to her corporeal form.

"When we're out of cookies?" Bonfire quickly answered as she approached, this time on foot. She was giving her flame a rest.

Ghost Girl stuck her tongue out at Bonfire, but stopped when she saw Blue Shield step out of the helicopter. "I've notified SHIELD," he said. "A containment team is on the way, but they won't be here for at least twenty minutes. The HERMES transporter is off the grid for some reason. We'll need to contain what we can until they arrive."

"What would an impromptu mission be without him giving orders?" the Abomination said crassly.

"Blonsky, secure the scene. Bonfire, find me witnesses. Ghost Girl…uh, just go wait in the chopper."

"I will go with Cynthia," Colleen began to say before Blue Shield motioned for her to come closer to him. Ghost Girl muttered her joy at getting to sit the rest of the mission out and recover her nerves as she passed by them. "What is it?" she said once she was close enough to only speak in a whisper.

"I recognized those things when we arrived," he said. "Obviously neither of these is Jack Russell. They're both Wendigos."

"Wendigo…"

"An ancient folk legend. I think the Hulk has tangled with them a few times. They fit Jack's profile, who was just dug up a few minutes ago in Illinois. When a human consumes human flesh, that person turns into a Wendigo. Pretty vicious creatures, as you saw."

"Is there a reason you are only telling me and not the whole team?"

"I talked to HQ about this while I was requesting the containment team," Blue Shield replied. "I know about these Wnedigos because of a case I was on with Cloak and Dagger a few years ago. These things are inhuman. Insane. Totally wild."

"I'm not following you here, Joe."

"Do you know where we are?"

Colleen looked around, but shook her head.

"We're standing almost exactly fifteen miles away from where we fought the Mole Man and Ahab the other week. That's pretty close to where the Collective touched down."

"Coincidence?" she asked.

"In our line of work, is there ever such a thing as coincidence?"

"So you're telling me that someone unleashed these animals here on purpose." Colleen took the second of silence to slip her sword back into its sheath. "Someone is purposely working behind the scenes. Mole Man alluded to a dark figure pulling his strings. There is a hidden agenda at work here."

"Yeah, it's working around _us_."

NEXT ISSUE: The team gets a not-so-friendly visit from another FSI group! With so many heroes in so small a place, can the masked villain keep himself masked for much longer?


End file.
